The Georgian Triangle Humane Society (GTHS) continues to feel the urgent needs of the community, with dog kennels reaching capacity and a long waiting list for those in need of shelter.
“So far this year we have accepted 95 pet surrenders, a number that has increased from 74 in the same period in 2022,” explains Sonya Reichel, Executive Director of the GTHS. “Pet relinquishment is continuing to rise, as pet parents struggle with housing insecurity, rising costs (including veterinary care) and access to resources, such as behavioural support. In 2022 alone, we saw a 94% increase in dog surrenders.”
While the GTHS is seeing a rise in cat and kitten adoptions in Q1 (191 vs 151 Q1 2022), dog adoptions are down by over 50%. This means dogs are staying at the GTHS almost three times as long as they were this time last year.
“In our 6,000 square foot facility, built in 2007 and designed for just 500 animals, the surge in demand we are seeing for our services, coupled with longer lengths of stay for our dog population puts us in a dire situation,” says Reichel. “Our dog kennels have reached capacity with a long list of pups on our waiting list for a warm, safe place to stay. Just this week alone, the onsite team took in a total of 13 unexpected animals whose situations were so emergent, there was no choice but to help. This puts our capacity for care over 120%. We’ve had lean especially hard on our Foster Volunteers who are already maxed out caring for pets in need of shelter or emergency board, so we are appealing to anyone who has considered to foster animals in the past to join our team.”
If you, or anyone you know, are looking to welcome a dog into your family or are interested in joining the GTHS Foster Volunteer Team, visit gths.ca to learn more about the dogs available for adoption, or to fill out a Foster Volunteer application form.
